This disclosure relates to systems, computer program products, and techniques for printing an image.
When an image such as a picture or a page of text is printed, image data is generally translated, by software, into a format understandable by a printing device (i.e., a printer) and relayed to a print buffer associated with the printing device. The print buffer receives the translated image data and stores at least a portion of the image data for subsequent printing by the printing device.
Many printing devices include multiple discrete print elements (e.g., nozzles for inkjet printers). The print elements can be deployed to print selected components of the image. For example, selected print elements can be deployed to print at selected locations on a workpiece. As another example, in color printing, selected print elements can be deployed to print selected colors. Image data from the print buffer can be used by control electronics to coordinate the printing of images by deployed print elements.
The print elements in a printing device can be arranged in groups called print modules (e.g., a physical group of inkjet nozzles). The print elements in a module can be grouped according to the deployment of the constituent elements. For example, print elements that print at a selected array of positions can be grouped in a print module. As another example, print elements that print a selected color (at a selected array of positions) can be grouped in a print module.
A single print head is typically formed of multiple print modules, each of which may have different properties. In addition, a print head in one printing system may differ from a print head in another system in terms of properties such as the number of inkjet nozzles per module and spacing between nozzles. To compensate for these differences, the software controlling the printing system needs to be tailored to accommodate the particular print head configuration.